A Siren's Call
by Soapy Water xx
Summary: The Legend of the Siren was well known by any boy who grew up by the sea.  It was one thing to see a Siren from a distance - quite another to have your life saved by one of the deadliest creatures in the sea.  Edward X Bella pirate fic.  Now a full story!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - All Hands On Deck**

"All hands on deck!"

That was the signal. With startling speed, I grabbed hold of the white sail and swung, legs outstretched. The muscles in my arms protested slightly at my body weight, but a second later, I hit the deck, landing with surprising grace. My Captain, Carlisle Cullen, was stood before the wheel, his burgundy pirate hat sat on his head.

Across from us, was the 'enemy' ship. The Nomad was its name, and it had four pirates (Aro, Caius, Marcus and James), two hands (Laurent and Alec), and a lady named Victoria. We had been enemies with the crew since we first met them out at sea five years ago, and this wasn't the first time we'd had to fight with them when we were out at sea.

James came swinging across from the Nomad, his long blonde hair held away from his face in a ponytail. He barrelled past me, unsheathing his long cutlass which glinted as the evening sun hit the blade. He landed barely five feet away from me, smirking as if he'd already won.

"Alright, Masen?"

He stalked forwards, and I pulled out my cutlass, slashing the air as I did so. He quirked an eyebrow at me, moving forwards with his blade ready.

"Alright, Nomad?" I replied, my voice harsh, carefully controlled. James barked a laugh, suddenly twirling around, his red coat flying out behind him as his blade flew towards my legs. I jumped, avoiding the attack, but James didn't falter, trying to cut through my defences, his blade colliding with mine time after time.

I moved back, around the mast, and James's blade reverberated against the wood - making a small cut in the thick oak. He let out a roar of rage, blade flying towards me, but he missed again.

Out swords clashed together, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Aro, Marcus and Caius swinging onto our ship. I turned again, narrowly avoiding James's sharp blade, lashing out under James's defences. I felt the blade pierce his skin, and a low howl of agony came from my opponent.

James fell back onto the ground, cutlass falling from his hand. I watched in surprise as triumph shone in his dark black eyes, and suddenly, I'd been pulled backwards by another opponent, flung onto the deck with such force that stars flashed before my eyes.

I blinked, and James was stood before me, two cutlasses in his hands - mine and his own. He smirked, pointing my cutlass at me, quirking an eyebrow at me. Shit, he was going to kill me here and now - murder me with my own cutlass.

"James always wins," he told me, that agonizing smirk still painted onto his face. The scar above his left eye shone as the sun disappeared over the horizon, and suddenly, it was incredibly dark. I could barely even make out James's figure, towering over me as he held my sword.

And then - the song began.

The legend of the Siren was well known - any boy who lived by the sea knew the song of the siren. I listened, and the eerie green glow of the siren lit up the entire deck, showing me James's face, which was lit up with horror.

He looked at me once, and I could see the longing in his eyes to kill me, but as the Siren rose above the deck, he bolted. My cutlass in his hand, his own in his belt, he swung back over using the ship's ropes, landing on the deck of the Nomad with a low thud. He shot me a smirk, then disappeared out of sight.

The Siren just looked at me, didn't stop singing.

She was beautiful - as all Sirens were. With long mahogany hair, matching chocolate brown eyes, and a pale white dress, she was absolutely stunning. Her eyes widened at me, then, she landed beside me, and her song ceased. She touched my face with long, pale fingers, smiled shyly, and then disappeared, the song of the Siren lingering behind her.

…

…

…

**A.N: This story will remain as a one shot for now - if the interest is good, I might consider writing more, as I already have a plotline for this in my head. I don't really want to start yet another fic yet though, as I already have three on the go. Review and tell me what you think of this - and who you think the Siren is. **

**Soap xx **


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N: This fic is not a priority fic, I want to make it clear. I was suffering from a bout of writer's block from IWMUH (my main story) so I started to write up chapters for this. It isn't my best work, I'm not afraid to admit it, and it's unbeta'd. **

**A special thank you to all of my reviewers, as well as the people who favourited and put this on alerts. Reviews are greatly appreciated – when I feel I have a decent amount, I'll add another chapter.**

**I apologise for it being like 'taking candy from a baby' :) I have something like eight chapters written (it was bad writer's block) so... hopefully that will sate you all :) **

Chapter 2 – Aftershock

Once the Nomad's ship had disappeared onto the horizon, Carlisle ordered for the rum to be brought from below the deck. I sank back against the ship's mast, exhaled heavily and closed my eyes. The siren's song still reverberated through my head; the image of her ghostly face wouldn't leave my mind.

"Are you okay?" Emmett McCarthy, another fellow pirate, looked down at me unsurely. His cutlass was long, better suited to his tall and bulky frame. His robes were dark green, almost brown, and a cap was perched on his head.

"Yeah," I grunted in response, closing my eyes again. I felt drained, empty. I needed sleep, but I knew that was unlikely – at least not for a couple of hours.

I heard Emmett's footsteps fade as he moved away from me. His retreat was followed shortly by muted voices murmuring things. I opened one eye blearily, squinted as I saw the late afternoon sun fading over the horizon.

Captain Carlisle and Jasper Whitlock, another fellow pirate, were both watching me warily. Jasper knew Sirens well, knew the affects of them. He had experience with the beings, but never first hand. He'd never been charmed by the song.

"Will he be okay?" Captain Carlisle asked, turning away slightly as if my hearing had been affected by the Siren's song.

"He should be. Just a little drained. Fighting the hypnotic tendencies of the song is exceedingly difficult. I find it hard to believe that he's still alive. Nobody has ever managed it before," Jasper replied, watching me with narrowed eyes.

I closed my eyes again, exhaled heavily as the image of the Siren clouded my mind. I considered the picture in my mind for a moment.

Her hair was long, mahogany and lustrous. The eerie green glow that surrounded her skin was scary and enticing. The way that odd locks of her hair floated in the air was mysterious and interesting. Her eyes were bright, chocolate brown as she examined me. She looked interested, rather than longing for my demise.

"Edward?" somebody shook my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see both Emmett and Jasper looking down at me in concern. Carlisle stood between them, watching me with narrowed eyes. One of his hands rested firmly on his cutlass, as if he expected me to try and attack him.

"Yes?" I asked, looking at the sky. The sun had disappeared – it seemed that my recounting of the Siren had taken much longer than I had realized. The full moon glared down from above, the white light reflecting from the water around the ship.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked me briskly, ever the Captain. He had to worry about his ship first, and his crew second.

"Nomad was about to finish me off," I said immediately, shaking off the slumber. "My cutlass," I stopped short, remembering James sprinting to his own ship bearing my cutlass. "He was going to kill me with my own cutlass. Then the Siren rose from the water and began to sing. He ran," I finished. "And he took my cutlass."

I frowned. I'd been rather fond of the cutlass – it was light, easy to use and it fit into my hand well. The shape of the blade suited my style well. I felt defenseless with no weapon in my belt, not even a pistol or a handgun.

"That isn't a problem," Carlisle said briskly, pacing up and down before us. "We'll simply have to find you another cutlass. I'm sure there'll be one below the deck somewhere," he paused, looked at me with inquisitive eyes. "May I ask what happened with the Siren?" "She began to sing, and then she disappeared," I replied, confused as to why the Siren would do such a thing. It made little sense – she could have easily charmed me into jumping from the ship and falling to my demise, but she didn't. In fact, she saved my life and then disappeared.

"I see," Carlisle replied.

I found myself draining several cups of rum, enjoying the sting. The drink allowed me to relax, to think of something other than the ghostly creature that had saved my life earlier in the day. I eventually retired to my quarters, where I slung my belt over the chair regretfully, already noticing the absence of my cutlass.

Then, I slowly relaxed into my bed and let the night take me.

**A.N: Review now? **


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N: I didn't get as many reviews as I would have liked, but that's only to be expected with a new story. Still, I got four favorites and one review – I would be eternally grateful if you decided to favorite and review as well! It would make me want to update. **

**EDIT: JUST LOOKED AT TRAFFIC STATS – 65 viewers, it says! YAY! **

**Now, if only you would all review… that would be muy bien. **

_**Please review… please... pretty pretty please? If I get more than five reviews, I'll update again this evening. That's how desperate I am. **_

**Remember, the chapters are already written; reviews inspire me to update with them.**

Chapter 3 – Sunrise

A snarl of rage emitted from my lips as I found myself awakening at the crack of dawn. My inability to sleep frequently left me grouchy and stiff, my joints often cracking under strain. During the day, I often found myself fighting to stay awake. Whatever the reason was for my inability to rest, I hated it with a burning passion.

I found myself on the deck again, watching the sunrise. The piece of bread that I'd eaten did nothing to fill my stomach; not that I was very hungry in the first place. I leaned against the mast, enjoyed the sight of the red sun rising over the sea.

Eleazar and Garrett emerged from the ship's hold together, both of them disappearing to do their respective duties. Garrett was in charge of the telescope, keeping watch for enemy ships approaching. Eleazar was responsible for the sails and the flag, making sure that everything was working and tied correctly. Both men were good at their positions.

The day passed slowly; we passed few ships, and most of them were neutral. A cutlass had been produced for me, from the ship's store. It was blunt, with a dull silver blade and a black handle. Feeling the tool in my hand was wrong, somehow. I missed my own cutlass.

"All hands on deck!"

My head snapped up from my musings, my eyes instantly focusing on a ship that seemed directly in front of us, hovering on the horizon. Instantly, Eleazar propelled into action – Emmett and Jasper went to join him. Carlisle took the wheel immediately, steadying our positions and readying the cannons.

"Who is it?" I called, winding some cord and readying one of the cannonballs.

"The Denali," Carlisle replied harshly. Carlisle and the captain of the Denali, Michael Newton, did not get along. Michael had made it his life's goal to make Carlisle's life a living hell. Along with this, the ship had more ladies than strictly necessary. Tanya, Kate, Carmen and Irina. As well as Newton, there was Jacob Black, Samuel Uley and Embry Call.

I hurriedly used a sharp knife that lay discarded nearby to sharpen the blade of my cutlass.

The ship was fast approaching – I quickly tossed the knife below into the ship's hold, so that none of the Denali Crew could use it to their advantage.

"Here!" I heard Newton's booming voice yell from the Denali. A second later, Black, Uley, Call and Newton hopped over from their ship to ours. Their hand, whoever it may have been, was obviously steering the ship as it began to move away from us.

Black instantly came for me, swinging his cutlass in the obvious kill. I repressed the urge to roll my eyes at his antics – Black was a fool, incapable of forgetting his youth. The tactics he used in combat were obvious and easy to evade. The only reason I had not killed him was because I was aware of his youth. He looked barely older than a teenager.

"Scared, Masen?" he challenged, raising his eyebrows. In return, I quickly swiped my cutlass left, as if going for his arm. Reflexively, he moved to block me but I quickly snatched my arm backwards, jabbing him lightly in the stomach with my blade.

"Not in particular," I replied after he made a small sound of pain. Blood stained his cotton white shirt.

I looked left for the briefest of moments. Carlisle was engaged with Newton, swinging his cutlass wildly. The blade glinted golden as he swiped frantically, obviously desperate to eliminate the threat of Newton.

"Masen!" Emmett roared. He was fighting Uley, who was a bigger man than Black, and he obviously had more skill. I watched as Uley cut into Emmett's arm, causing him to wince, but not make a sound of pain. I admired Emmett's tolerance.

"Do excuse me," I said sarcastically to the idiotic buffoon who I had the displeasure of fighting.

I carefully delivered a jab to his ribcage, temporarily putting him out of action before dashing over to Emmett and delivering a blow to Uley's side.

He let out a groan, which quickly turned into a gurgle of pain as Emmett quickly kicked him in the stomach, effectively pushing him overboard. His body disappeared under the waves.

I looked at Emmett, ready to examine his arm. I was the best at the medical side of things. Whenever we were injured, I was the one to produce bandages and make sure none of our injuries were lethal or permanent.

But his eyes widened as he focused on something behind me. Before I could turn, I heard the sound of a cutlass hitting another cutlass – the 'CHING' made me jump and I spun around immediately.

A young woman who I had never seen before, dressed in burgundy pirates robes, was fighting off Black forcefully, glaring at him with hatred.

"Do you" – CHING – "have any" – CHING – "idea" – CHING – "how hard it is" – CHING – "to protect you?" she snarled out. Another 'CHING' filled the air as she deflected one of Black's attacks. He looked more than a little shocked.

"I am talking to you, you know!" she added, suddenly looking at me with a glare, deflecting yet another attack.

"What?" I spluttered. "Who the hell are you! How did you get on this ship?"

She smiled sweetly.

"Don't you recognize me?" she asked in a whisper, jabbing Black with her cutlass. He let out a squeak of pain, tried to hide the fact that he'd made a sound.

A second later, the pirate robes that she'd been wearing seemed to fade, and her skin turned luminous, glowing green. Her hair fell from under the burgundy pirate's hat, and she rose into the air, smirking at me.

Then, the song began.

She twirled in the air gracefully, and then lowered herself to the ground. She touched Black's face ever so lightly, smiled at him. Her entire face seemed to light up when she smiled, and her eyes became wide, hypnotizing.

Black's expression went from scared to vacant in an instant. The Siren gently drew her hand up – his eyes followed her fingers. Then, she gestured to the edge of the boat. He obediently began to walk forwards towards the edge, and finally stepped from the boat easily. There was a low 'SPLASH' followed by silence.

She floated towards me, lowering herself down until her feet touched the floor. Then, her form shimmered, transforming from the mysterious green creature that I recognized her as, to the young woman with pale skin and lustrous brown hair who had saved my life. Her pirate robes matched mine.

"You," she said, her form flickering again. "Are incredibly difficult to continue saving. Are you sure that becoming a Pirate was the best career choice?"

She smiled at me, gently ruffled my hair and proceeded to disappear.

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**IF I GET MORE THAN FIVE REVIEWS I'LL UPDATE WITHIN THE NEXT FOUR HOURS. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N: I said five reviews and so I will stick to my promise. Here if your next update. **

**Something that had not occurred to me is the fact that I can now do previews. My updates should be once a week. If I get lots of reviews I will change it to be more frequent. **

**Reviewers (every reviewer) will get a preview. Unfortunately anonymous reviewers cannot (sorry guys) **

**Special thanks to the reviewers who have left feedback today. It means a lot to me. Really :) **

Chapter 4 – Awakening

I found myself slowly returning to consciousness. My memories were blurred, confusing and mixing with my dreams. Despite the fact that I rarely dreamed, I knew that what had occurred could not have actually happened. Sirens did not go out saving people's lives, despite the fairytales.

"Are you okay?" Emmett asked me, once he saw I was awake. He was sharpening his cutlass, occasionally glancing around my quarters at the treasures I'd hidden.

"Just about," I replied, thinking back on everything. "What happened?"

"Your Siren decided that she didn't want Black to stab you, so she saved your life," Emmett told me. "Well done man," he added with a smirk. "I'm pretty sure you're the first human to charm a Siren. But she definitely likes you."

"I don't think that Sirens can like people," I replied, also smiling at the memory. "This makes no sense. She is not obliged to save my life in any way."

Emmett frowned. "And how come she could turn into a human? That was some freaky shit," he told me.

"I know," I agreed, albeit reluctant. I didn't find it freaky; I found it fascinating.

"Carlisle gave you the morning 'off,'" he made air quotations around the word. "He told me I had to come and watch you, to make sure you didn't try to steal out booty or something."

"How long have you been sat there?" I asked him curiously.

"About two hours," he replied seriously.

We, both of us, burst into laughter after a short pause.

"I'll tell Captain that you're awake," he made to leave.

"Wait," I called after him. He stopped immediately, looked back over his shoulder. "Has the Siren returned since last night?"

"No," Emmett replied with a smirk. He disappeared from my private quarters without another word.

XxXxXxXxX

I readied myself and soon found myself stood on deck besides Whitlock. He continued to appraise me from the corner of his eye, or sometimes blatantly. He didn't actually try to hide his curiosity about me. I supposed that he was actually curious about the Siren's odd relationship with me.

"We're expecting to run into the Nomad again today," Carlisle said, pacing up and down before us. Eleazar and Garrett both looked concerned.

I let out the human approximation of a growl.

"I know that our emotions sometimes rule our heads, as humans," he added. "But try and focus solely on the fight, rather than the insults that your opposition will undoubtedly be tossing at you. You need to be strong, focus, and not allow their untruthful words to affect your fighting skills."

Carlisle looked at me.

"I understand that the Siren has been getting in the way," he told me. "But your fight has been suffering. If this continues, we'll have to think about what we can do to eliminate this threat. I don't want to find our ship robbed because we've lost Edward to the Siren."

We all seemed to frown.

The day commenced, with me keeping a close eye on the sea. I was anticipating the fight with Nomad, anxiously awaiting the chance to retrieve my cutlass. Nomad was the type to rub his triumph in your face, meaning he would probably be using my cutlass.

"All hands on deck!" Garrett yelled the familiar cry.

And it began.

"I see you have my cutlass," I commented as Nomad and I circled one another. My eyes were fixated on the silver metal – he'd obviously been taking good care of my weapon.

"I see you have that thing," he curled his lip at my weapon. I did, too. The thing was rusty, old and all but useless. I hated it all ready.

"Shall we?" I asked.

The fight commenced. Nomad circled and jabbed, weaved along the ship as if it were his own. He seemed to know every nook and cranny, and used it to his advantage well.

"Ha-HA!" I yelled in triumph as Nomad fell backwards against the wheel. I hovered over him with the cutlass, trying to determine where abouts I should strike…

Suddenly, Nomad grinned evilly and before I had time to react, he wrenched down on the wheel and the ship immediately swung left, effectively knocking everyone over. I staggered sideways, fell to the ground and proceeded to roll.

I just managed to grab my cutlass as I rolled, stood briskly as I stopped and readied myself to resume the fight.

Nomad dived, slashed his cutlass towards me wildly, the blade glinting and temporarily blinding me. I deflected the blade, jabbed under his defenses and feigned right. Nomad immediately mimicked my movements, keeping his cutlass angled to the right ready to defend himself.

I quickly jabbed left, caught his side. Blood dotted on my sword as his shirt was slashed. I could see the wound – it was fairly deep, nothing lethal though.

Nomad was still put off, a noise of surprise coming from him. My cutlass was lowered slightly; I'd anticipated Nomad falling to the ground due to the blow. But he didn't – instead, he grinned evilly and slashed at my arm with his cutlass. My right arm – my cutlass arm.

"Damn it!" I swore violently after my cry, tried to switch hands as I tried to stop the blood flow. The red substance dripped down my arm, the smell was strong in the air. I could taste it on my tongue – shuddered.

I jabbed my sword again, now determined. My left hand was not as strong as my right, but I could easily use both hands. I had the ability to be capable of writing with both hands and fighting with both hands.

The loud 'CHING' of our swords slashing against one another filled the air; I focused solely on my cutlass. I desperately needed my own cutlass back – the one that I was using was not right for my hand. I could feel my grip loosening as my hand slipped on the hilt.

Was it wrong that I was hopeful for the Siren to arrive?

I deflected another of Nomad's attacks, suddenly slashing my cutlass upwards, and then into his arm. The blade was buried deeply into his flesh – he definitely wouldn't make it if he didn't have some kind of doctor on board his ship.

"Argh!" he yelled out in pain before he could stop himself. My blade, my cutlass, fell from his hand and clattered against the ship's deck. Nomad immediately began sprinting to the edge of the ship, towards where the Nomad waited. He dived over the edge, onto his own ship and disappeared.

"GO EDWARD!" Captain Carlisle yelled from where he was fighting Aro. I obeyed his order, instantly shot after Nomad – after retrieving my cutlass – and dived onto their ship, ignoring the sense of foreboding that filled me.

"Masen!" somebody roared my name. I whirled around, readying my cutlass in defense.

Laurent and Alec were not particularly bright. They smiled sadistically, readying the small, blunt knifes that they possessed, as if the 'two against one' tactics would help them. Of course, they were wrong. There was a reason why my name was known across the ocean.

I suddenly whirled around in a circle, effectively slicing off Laurent's head with one blow. Blood covered the blade of my cutlass, spilled from Laurent's neck onto the deck. The wood was shiny, slick with the thick red substance. His head fell to the ground with a low thud – the image did nothing to me.

"Argh!" Alec yelled, which was a mistake. In yelling, he'd also alerted me to the fact that he was going to attack. I quickly moved my sword downwards, to his ribs, and he ran straight into the blade. It sliced straight through his stomach. He remained upright for a moment, until I pulled the blade from him. Then, he sank to the ground, blood pooling around his body.

Suddenly, I found my balance was gone and I rolled across the deck, landing on my stomach. I was winded.

I stood immediately, but as I did so, the ship lurched in the other direction, effectively knocking me down once more.

"You're a fool, Masen!" I heard Nomad yell from where he stood at the wheel. I stood up, ready to take him on – but as I did so, he jerked the wheel and I went flying across the deck.

My head struck something hard, sharp. I felt a small bang of pain, and my hand came up to inspect the damage. I felt something warm and sticky on my palm – when I pulled it away, it was covered in blood.

"Fool," he said again, standing over me. I quickly tried to sit up, but it seemed that my body wouldn't cooperate, moving at a sluggish pace as I fought to stand.

Nomad's foot pushed me back down, more gentle than he needed to be. The back of my head hit the deck forcefully, and I was out cold.

XxXxXxXxX

**AIM: get to 25 reviews. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: thanks for the reviews you awesome sauce people. Heres the next one - your thoughts? **

Chapter 5 – Hostage

"I was under the impression that only young, attractive, female members of ships were taken hostage," a voice mused as I found myself slowly coming around. "However, it seems that handsome, strong young men can be taken as hostages too. I find that a little silly."

I opened my eyes with a groan, finding myself in total darkness. I could remember everything, of course, meaning that I was probably being held in the ship's hold.

"Oh, sorry," the same woman's voice from before apologized. "It's quite dark in here to your eyes, isn't it?"

I watched as the room was bathed in green light. It was eerie, spooky, but familiar. I knew instantly that it was the Siren.

She was dressed in her pirate robes from the last time I saw her, looking completely normal aside from the fact that she was a female pirate. Her burgundy hat was perched atop of her head, her hair curling around her face. Her hand was the only part of her that appeared to be a Siren – it had the ghostly complexion, and it glowed bright green in the dark.

"Now, I was saying when we last met about how it is impossible to keep you safe. Hence why you're here, why I didn't stop that Nomad," she practically hissed the name, "from taking you hostage."

"What?" I asked, slightly breathless. The presence of a Siren tended to make you lightheaded, a little sluggish and unable to think properly.

"Is this affecting you?" she asked, holding up her hand. My eyes were instantly trained to the green light; it was hypnotizing.

"Slightly," I managed.

"Shall we talk in darkness, then?" she replied, sounding curious.

"That would be good," I forced out.

The light disappeared; I exhaled heavily, leaned back against the wooden wall.

"How come you're trying to save my life?" I asked, once I'd collected my thoughts.

"Because you're exceptionally handsome," she replied seriously.

"Is that the only reason?" I probed.

"Do you need a reason?" she replied.

"Yes," I said honestly.

"Well," she suddenly flashed bright green. "Let me show you," she sang the words, enticingly.

My mind went completely blank as she flew towards me, in all of her green, mysterious glory. She sang her song lightly, gently as her face moved closer to my own. I felt myself becoming lost as her song invaded my mind, made it impossible for me to think straight. I couldn't think of anything other than the hypnotic song that she sang for me.

Then, she was gone.

"I don't want to be a monster," she said from the other end of the room.

"Where are you?" I asked in a shaky voice.

"Here," her body illuminated green for a moment. "May I continue?"

"Of course," I replied.

"Being a Siren is fun," she continued. "It's fun, singing to pirates, enchanting them with my song." She hummed the tune to her song. "But I don't want to be a monster. I don't enjoy the part where they end up dying."

"And this links to me…?" I asked.

"Because I affect you," she moved closer, obviously still in her 'human' form. "And you don't jump."

Silence followed her words.

"What do you mean?" I replied curiously.

"I was trying," she said as if it was obvious. "My song automatically makes the listener want to jump. It isn't something I can really control. But with you, you heard the song, and you were still very much in character. You managed to resist. You're still here now, still resisting."

"And so you've been trying to save my life," I said. This sounded beyond odd.

"Not exactly," she replied. "I was determined. If I couldn't have you, nobody could. I wanted to be the one who would take you, not some other pirate."

"This makes no sense. You were protecting me, because you wanted to be the one to kill me?" I asked, all the more confused.

"Sirens are very jealous creatures," she replied vaguely. "But anyway. I watched you, and I found myself enchanted. That was a rare occurrence, considering what I am," she lit up green once again. "So, I decided to protect you. Which is incredibly difficult."

"But why am I here?" I asked. "You could have easily stopped Nomad."

"But I didn't want to," she replied. "I wanted to speak to you. In person. To see how your mind really works," she approached me; I could hear the click of her boots as she sat beside me. Her hand was suddenly on my leg.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Her entire body suddenly glowed green, and her hand was vice like on my leg. The color of her filled my eyes and made my mind stop abruptly, all thoughts cutting off. A second later, her song began, filling my mind and invading my senses.

"Kiss me," she whispered in my ear.

The urge was beyond me as I leaned forwards, pressed my lips to the creature's. She responded, and the green tone of her skin burst before my eyes.

A second later, she pulled away and the color disappeared. I found myself in darkness once again, my eyes wide open as I stared blankly into the darkness. My mind was still numbed, silently processing the kiss that I had just shared with one of the deadliest creatures in the sea.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again. I couldn't quite find the instructions on how to speak. "Unfortunately, doing that," she was referring to the kiss, "is the only way to scan someone's mind when you're a Siren. You're absolutely fascinating."

A second later, the Siren gently touched one of the candles in brackets on the wall. It instantly began to burn, lighting up the room. The Siren smiled at me – she was in her 'human' form again – and began to light all of the candles with no match. I was silently transfixed by her movements.

"I imagine you have questions," she said.

"What happened after I was knocked out?" I asked.

"Nomad was determined to have you thrown overboard," the Siren said. "But Aro disagreed. Being the Captain, his word was final. He was convinced that you could join his crew and be a good pirate for him. So you've been taken 'hostage' until further notice."

I nodded.

"They'll bring you food every couple of days until you agree to work for them willingly," the Siren said. "I would help feed you, but unfortunately, I can't make food appear from thin air."

She seemed upset about this.

"I see," I said. I frowned, considering what would happen now. "How far away is Twilight?"

Twilight, the name of my ship. I considered. It was easily possible that I would never see my Captain or my fellow pirates ever again. After all, it was rare that hostages survived.

"About fifteen miles," the Siren replied. "It's heading in the other direction."

I sighed. Of course.

"FOOD!" A loud voice yelled. A second later, the door was opened and a plate of food was shoved into the room. The door was quickly slammed.

"You'd want to eat that now," the Siren said. "It'll go off in a couple of hours."

I nodded, tucked into the food.

"By the way," the Siren said as I tucked into the food. "Please, call me Bella. Or Swan," she added as an afterthought. "Some people have two names, don't they? Bella Swan?"

"Yeah," I said, thinking of the name.

Bella – Beautiful.

Swan.

Beautiful Swan.

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	6. Chapter 6

**A.N: **

Chapter 6 – Decision

"Are you sure that is a wise decision, Edward?"

Aro Volturi was a very manipulative man. He was very good at getting what he wanted, and nothing stood in the way of that. He eliminated all threats to his sanctuary. Aro was well known across the ocean for his lack of sympathy. He was ruthless, cold hearted. The perfect pirate.

"Despite everything, I will remain loyal to my ship," I replied firmly, reciting the words that Captain Carlisle had told us to say in a crisis.

"Then you will remain below," Aro replied, sighing heavily. He knew that I would budge – it wasn't something that was questionable. I would eventually have to give in, whether it was because he was starving me or I feared that I would go insane.

I was pushed back into my room, where the candles were slowly turning into nothing. I feared I would spend the rest of my days in darkness, with only the light of the Siren's – no, Bella's – skin to see.

"Why Bella?" I asked curiously, moving around the room. She was seated on one of the velvet buffets in the room, gently combing her fingers through her long chestnut brown hair.

"Why what?" she replied, not understanding the question.

"Why the name Bella?" I elaborated.

"I don't know," she replied vaguely, as if her mind was a million miles away. "Why not?"

"You know what it means, then," I checked.

"Of course," she replied.

"Beautiful Swan?" I said.

She nodded. "Yes," she looked up at me. "Does the name I chose bother you?"

"Not in particular," I replied.

"It does, doesn't it?" she looked up now, her eyes boring into my own. They flashed green for a moment.

"No," I disagreed. "I just find it odd. The name, Beautiful Swan. Why did you pick it… you could have any name, meaning anything that your heart desired. Why that name?"

"Because I'm a Siren. Creature of the sea. So, Swan fit… and beautiful… well, all Swans are beautiful, and so are all Sirens. It's just a fact of life. I like the name, too. It's exotic," she smiled at me.

Bella had told me lots about her life. She shared information on how old she was – one hundred and seven – when her birthday was – thirteenth of September – and how many men she'd charmed with her song before. The number was so large, I was incredibly shocked.

"You know," I mused. "You could easily have just hypnotized me into putting up with you. It wouldn't be that difficult, surely."

"But I wouldn't do that," she sounded affronted. "Besides, you can feel it when I'm in your mind. Remember?" she asked the last word in a whisper, her skin glowing green as her eyes bore into my own. Thoughts flew from my head instantly, the sea called to me.

"Yes," I replied, my voice sounded robotic.

"I don't like that," she said, her voice normal as she resumed her form as a normal female pirate. "I don't like the lack of control that you have. I could make you do anything. Sometimes, I wish I was human like you."

She smiled at me gently, a comb appeared in her hand. Then, she gently raked the hair comb through her dark, soft locks, her eyes far away as usual.

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"This is boring," Bella told me one morning. I could only tell that it was morning from the light that came under the door. The candles had burned away the night before – Bella was forced to use her eerie green glow to light up the room. When I asked her why she couldn't make some candles appear, like she had with her comb, she responded with information about the full moon.

"The moon affects everything when you're a Siren," she had told me. "If the moon isn't full, I can't make anything appear. It's quite simple. Unfortunately, that means no candles until next month."

I turned my attention back to Bella. She was stood in front of me with her hands on her hips, tapping her booted foot in impatience. She was a very restless spirit, desperate to be on the move, living in danger and dying for the fight.

"I agree," I replied honestly. "I don't suppose you could break us out of here?"

She grinned wildly.

"I thought you'd never ask," she replied enthusiastically.

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Later that day, one of the pirates unsurely opened the cabin door and stepped in, closing the door behind him. He placed down the food and water in its usual spot, and turned around to move back towards the door.

In that instant, Bella stepped from the shadows, and silently struck the pirate over the head with nothing but her hands. Almost immediately, the man fell unconscious on the ground, limp. I dragged him to the corner of the room, where it was darkest.

"Drink and eat," Bella commanded, looking at the door. It was open by the slightest amount.

"Why?" I replied.

"This isn't going to be easy," she said, as if it was obvious.

I quickly ate the food, almost blanching at the taste. I drained the water, which was too warm, stale somehow. I shuddered, my taste buds burning slightly.

"Ready," I said, once everything was gone.

Bella had taken the cutlass belonging to the pirate who she had decapitated – I recognized him as Marcus – and handed it to me. When I looked at her questioningly, with raised eyebrows, she glowed bright green as if to prove a point.

"You like doing that," I accused her.

"I like the way that you react," she replied with a cheeky smile.

We both moved from the cabin, up a flight of stairs into the main hold. I could see the way to the pirates' quarters from this deck, as well as the food and water store.

We moved up another flight of stairs. I pushed the trap door open and we both slipped out, quiet as mice.

"THEY'VE ESCAPED!" Somebody yelled.

A snarl of rage escaped Bella, she glowed green and her eyes flashed crimson in her rage. The sky instantly began to cover with grey clouds and lightening crackled above us in her fury.

"Bella, calm down," I said, nervous.

She ignored me. As Caius started towards us, Bella pointed at him viciously and the lightening stuck at his feet. The pirate recoiled, the coward, hung back.

"Bella," I said, as another bolt of lightening struck the ship, caused a smoldering hole to appear in the deck. "If you continue this, there won't be a ship for us to use."

She nodded, calmed. The air around us began to glow green once again.

A second later, her song filled the air. Though it wasn't directed at me, I still felt the pull, but resisted as well as I possibly could.

Unfortunately, the other pirates were not so lucky. Their eyes became vacant as the song filled their minds, and their raised cutlasses clattered to the ground. Caius and Alec started towards Bella, both of them smiling as they approached her to listen to her song.

Aro was resisting. He clutched his head, stuck his fingers in his ears as he fought. I could see a vein pulsing in his temple as he fought against the song, but he couldn't resist in the end. His eyes suddenly became vacant, and he walked towards Bella slowly, the song filling his mind.

"And," she whispered. "Down."

I was shocked as the pirates dropped to the ground, rather than jumping from the ship as they normally did. They were all unconscious on impact with the floor, apparently.

Bella looked immensely proud of herself as the greenness of her skin faded and she looked like the Bella that I knew once again.

"I didn't think I'd be able to do it," she sounded like a child who'd just won a race for the first time. "I thought they'd jump like everyone else. I didn't think I'd be able to control the outcome."

"But you did," I replied, smiling at her enthusiasm. "Well done."

Bella moved around to the wheel, quickly swung the ship around to the left, heading into the east, towards the sunset. I smiled, enjoying the view of the sun fading below the water.

"I've got to go," Bella told me.

I looked back at her, confused. She was absolutely radiant in her pirate robes, her hat perched atop of her head. It was slightly lopsided, exposing more of her hair than I was used to seeing.

"Why?" the question escaped me before I could stop it.

"I need to see someone," she said, giving me no information whatsoever.

She disappeared suddenly, shocking me. A low gust of wind blew my hair and my hat flew from my head, toppling into the sea. I groaned aloud, watching it float away. I wasn't going to risk leaning over the edge of the ship to try and save it.

Instead, I moved the unconscious pirates of the Nomad into the hold where I was kept. I wondered vaguely where James was – I hadn't seen him for a long time. I was hopeful that he'd been thrown overboard or something.

I knew it was unlikely though. Despite my hatred for James, I admitted that he was a good fighter. He wouldn't go down easily – the fact that he'd managed against me for such a long time was proof of his skill.

I kept one hand at my cutlass ready.

Night fell, and I dropped anchor. I was tired, considering the fact that I'd been sat in a ship's hold for the past few weeks. So, I settled down on the top deck, closed my eyes.

But sleep wouldn't come.

It seemed that I'd grown accustomed to seeing pale green light beneath my eyelids when I tried to sleep, and for some reason, the blackness was unfamiliar. It made me restless.

Eventually, I fell unconscious, and enjoyed the rest bite.

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	7. Chapter 7

**A.N: Hey guys! I was so pleased about the amount of reviews and favourites for last chapter. And I apologise about the lack of previews for the last chapter - I didn't have time to write an AN about the chap, and FF started playing up badly. Like I couldn't log in or review other stories or ANYTHING. It was so annoying. **

**So previews again this time... next update will probably be next saturday. **

**PEOPLE WHO FAVOURITE'd: Thanks a bunch for that :) but I really love feedback. Lol. **

Chapter 7 – Secrets

I was awoken by Bella. She was singing softly to herself as the ship slowly progressed forwards. She was glowing pale green, her hair loose. The white dress that she'd worn the first time I met her fell past her ankles, pooled in a heap on the ground. Her feet were bare – her toes poked out from beneath the dress.

"I see you're awake," she greeted me.

"Morning," I replied, stretching. I stood up, looked around for my hat before recalling it being tossed off of the ship.

Bella looked amused.

"I see you lost your hat," she commented.

"Yeah," I replied. "Damn wind."

We both laughed.

After a pause, in which the soft sound of rain hitting the ship was the only sound, I spoke.

"Do you ever sleep?" I asked curiously.

"There's no need for my kind to," she replied.

"But can you?" I pressed.

"It's like me asking you if you could drink blood," she said.

"That would be incredibly… wrong," I said, shuddering at the idea.

"Precisely. Sirens take the same view on sleep. They think it's wrong, unmoral. Like me, now, taking the form of a human. If anybody knew, I'd probably be disowned by my species," she told me. "I've never slept before," she added as an afterthought.

"Really?" I was shocked.

"No. I never saw the point," she replied. "You humans spend so much time with your brain not working. It seems boring to me. I'd never be able to stay still for such a long period of time."

I chuckled. Of course not – Bella was the opposite of still. She hated staying in one place, which was perhaps why she'd undocked so early.

"What time is it?" I asked her.

"Early," she replied.

"Yes, but what time is it?"

"Does it matter?" she looked at me with one raised eyebrow.

"I guess not," I replied after a moment.

"We're about twenty minutes away from your ship," Bella told me.

"Good," I replied briskly.

The journey continued. Bella told me more about her life as a Siren, and she quizzed me on my life too.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked me curiously.

"Green," I replied immediately.

"Huh," she said, smiling. "Same as me."

"Childhood memory?" she quizzed.

"I don't think about my childhood," I replied at once. Bella nodded, instantly accepting that I didn't want to talk about it.

"How long have you been a pirate?"

"About ten years," I said, after some thought.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty seven."

She nodded, smiling at me.

"You look younger," she commented.

"I get that a lot," I replied with a chuckle. "It seems that despite the fact my name is well known, people don't accept that I could be so old. It's quite odd; pirates tend to look older due to the stress that this life brings."

"You don't like it," Bella's eyes were fixated on my own, her brow furrowed.

"No," I replied honestly. "The life of killing and fighting doesn't appeal to me. When I became a pirate, I had no choice in the matter. My father was looking for me, and Carlisle offered me a place on his ship. I couldn't refuse."

I wasn't entirely sure why I was sharing so much information with her. But Bella's expression was thoughtful, she was interested in what I had to say.

"I've been on there ever since. About three years ago I got word of my father's death. I have no idea where my mother would be. Maybe one day I'll get back to land to settle down and live a proper life, rather than this," I gestured to the water.

"And what will happen to us?" Bella sounded curious.

"What do you mean?" I replied.

"When you live on land… I cannot visit you on land. We won't see one another again when you leave," Bella said quietly. "That will be a shame. You're a good friend, Edward."

"Friend?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

"I consider us to be friends," Bella told me. "Don't you?"

I thought about it.

"I was under the impression that we were something more, actually," I admitted in a quiet voice.

"More than friends?" Bella asked.

"Best friends?" I tried, feeling awkward.

Bella sniggered.

"Is that the best you can do?" she quizzed.

Silence followed her words.

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	8. Chapter 8

**A.N: YAY! I got so many reviews for the last chapter, I was so happy! I got 10 of them. 10! I would absolutely love it if we could get that many again. Also, I did send previews but they were late. I'll try and be better this time. **

**Please review! I love hearing your thoughts and suggestions...Also, just for a show of hands,how many people would be interested in a sequel? Unfortunately, As I've said before, this isn't my best work so it's quite short. I reckon thereate two more chapters including an epilogue. **

**Also, with regards to the idea of showing Edwards childhood in a dream, I may write up a one shot companion piece to explain it... Equally, if you guys want a sequel I might link it into that. **

**Ill put a poll on my profile page so that you can vote there, or you can just say yes or no in reviews. **

**Thanks!**

Chapter 8 – James Nomad

It was mid afternoon when the ship came into view. Twilight was sailing away from us, following the setting sun. I could see the Jolly Rodger sailing high on the mast. I smiled wryly, recognizing my ship.

"I need my cutlass," I recalled the weapon's existence suddenly. The silver and gold tool had been familiar to me for such a long time, I couldn't leave it on the ship.

"Where will it be?" Bella asked briskly, standing up. Obviously she was going to retrieve the item for me.

"Below deck," I replied. "Don't worry, I'll get it. I think James will have kept it in his quarters to taunt me."

Before Bella could reply, I ducked below the deck into the hold, followed the red carpet down into James' quarters. I pushed open the door and entered the room.

The carpets were white, with regal furniture all over the room. Several cutlasses were mounted on the wall, all with plaques beneath them stating who they had belonged to before James had killed them.

The door swung shut behind me.

"Stay very still," a very familiar voice hissed in my air. A second later, a cold blade was pressed against my neck, causing me to freeze, not anticipating this kind of attack.

"You're looking for your cutlass, aren't you?" James asked, the blade still pressed into my throat. I could feel the sharp edge break through my skin, feel blood bead on my neck.

I didn't reply; just jabbed my elbow into his stomach as hard as I possible could. James' grip on the cutlass slackened due to pain, and I managed to duck from underneath him, grabbing one of the cutlasses mounted on his wall and holding it ready in defense.

"I'm about ready to add this one to my collection," James hissed, starting forwards. He cleverly feigned left, before feigning diving over my defenses and attempting to jab me in the stomach. I managed to deflect him, twirling the cutlass in my hand before bringing it down heavily – but James met my attack head on with my own cutlass, the 'CLING' sound pulsing through my eardrums.

We whirled around the room. I ducked as James brought his cutlass down towards my head – the blade sliced into the bookcase behind me, lodging in firmly. James quickly tried to pull the blade out, but didn't have enough time and barely managed to jump out of the way of my blade as I lashed out towards his back.

He grabbed one of the cutlasses from his wall.

"What do you think of my room?" James asked, slightly breathless as we resumed the fight.

"It's very nice," I replied calmly, my voice not at all breathless considering the situation. "Of course, I'll be glad to leave."

James snarled angrily, lashed forwards again.

I ducked, avoided his blow as I moved left across the ground. There was a loud 'BANG' which distracted me, and my head reflexively moved to look left. As my attention was diverted, James managed to knock me backwards, onto the ground.

His cutlass approached my throat at top speed, yet I could see it perfectly due to my adrenaline rush.

A second later, a gold blade glinted before my eyes, and a loud 'CLING' echoed around the room. I looked upwards – or behind, from where I was laid on the ground – to see Bella standing behind me, protective to the last.

Her eyes were burning red, yet she remained human.

"You" – CLING – "can't" – CLING – "go one single" – CLING – "minute" – CLING – "without getting into" – CLING – "trouble!" Bella yelled at me angrily, defending herself with well placed, fast moves. She didn't lash wildly at top speed as James and I did; she considered her movements carefully before she attacked. Her method obviously had more affect than mine – James was all but wheezing as Bella forced him back against the wall.

"Any last words?" she hissed, cutlass ready to do the deed.

"Fuck you," he swore violently.

A second later, loud bangs echoed around the room, followed by the sound of running footsteps. I stood quickly, grabbing the cutlass I'd taken from the wall and holding it defensively.

"Pass me that!" Bella yelled, pointing at the other cutlass beside me. I did as she said, throwing the tool across the room. Bella caught it easily, slicing both weapons into James before he could say another word.

A second later, the door was thrown open and Aro, Marcus, Caius, Alec and Victoria appeared in the room. The lady of the ship, Victoria, held a cutlass in one hand. Her wild curly auburn hair fell around her face and she looked slightly fearful of the blade in her hand.

Silently, Bella tossed one of her blades across the room towards Marcus. The blade went straight through his stomach and managed to pin him to the wall behind him. Blood began to stain the carpet; the scent was making me nauseous.

A second later, I engaged in a fight with Aro. He was a strong fighter, incredibly so. The man was used to getting his own way; he was the owner of an incredibly successful pirate ship. Of course he would be a strong fighter; perhaps stronger than myself.

For the smallest moment, I feared for my life.

Bella quickly moved forwards, effectively moving around Victoria and striking the back of the woman's head with the instrument, effectively knocking her out. She fell to the ground, the pink gown that she wore pooling around her.

Caius stepped forwards, smiling sinisterly.

"You're a very pretty Siren," he crooned. "I was convinced that your species had almost been wiped out."

They circled one another, eyes locked one their opponent. I couldn't focus on Bella's fight, kept my attention on Aro.

"I'm strong," Bella replied shortly.

Couldn't look up; dodged one of Aro's attacks.

"But you've fallen for a human," Caius sniggered "Seems pretty weak to me. Aren't Sirens supposed to be unloving, unemotional and devoid of thoughts or feelings?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bella snapped irritably.

"Why haven't you hypnotized me yet?" Caius asked.

"I wanted to give you a fair chance," Bella replied.

"No," Caius said. "You wanted to fight with him. You enjoy the thrill. You like playing this game with him. How perfectly sadistic."

"Do not" – her eyes flashed vivid red as she glared at Caius – "try to insult me."

Caius laughed; the sound echoed around the room.

A second later, Bella abruptly lashed forwards heavily, and the blade of her cutlass sank straight into Caius' body. He fell to the ground, effectively ruining the carpet.

"Edward!" I heard Emmett's familiar voice yell from above.

"Here!" Bella shouted, slightly breathless.

My Captain, as well as my fellow pirates, came sprinting down the stairs and into the room. They stopped short, seeing Aro and I engaged in combat.

"What the heck?" Emmett demanded.

I let out a burst of laughter.

I swung my entire body around, nimbly avoiding several more blows from Aro, when suddenly a blunt object hit the side of my head – hard.

Stars burst before my eyes; I ignored the sensation, tried to continue fighting. But for some reason, my vision had tilted to one side, and I couldn't seem to straighten it up no matter how hard I tried.

A glint of silver filled my eyes, causing everything to turn a very vivid white, before darkness covered my vision. My mind seemed to stop working, like I was under Bella's spell once again, and I lost all coherent thought.

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**Sorry if eddie seemed like a bit of a wuss. I know hes already passed out once. Try and bear with me. **

**Review as always!**

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	9. Chapter 9

**A.N: I AM SORRY! **

**I really am. I didn't mean it. I'm back now. I'll update today, Friday, and Sunday… then I think that's the end. **

**Do enjoy : ) **

Chapter 9 – Shaken From Slumber

Years after the event, I still remembered the image of Bella with perfect clarity.

She was blood stained, her hair sopping wet – with blood, it turned out. Her robes were ripped, exposing her underwear slightly and her face was flush with concern and exertion. She was bent over me, her wide chocolate brown eyes raking over my face with intensity, trying to determine whether or not I was okay.

"Ugh," I groaned.

I focused on her again. The image of her was… well, it was sexy.

"You look sexy," I said, my voice sounded slurred.

"You've got concussion," Bella replied, smirking at my words.

"You still look sexy," I said, completely unabashed.

I heard Emmett laugh.

"Looks like he really does like ya," he laughed.

"Shut up," Bella said angrily, before turning her attention back to me. "Okay, so we think you have concussion. I need to see whether or not it's anything really serious. So that means I have to…"

"Kiss me," I smiled.

"Told ya!" Emmett's raucous laughter echoed around the room.

"No, you idiot," I heard Bella say. "If I kiss him, I can see if there's anything wrong with his mind at the moment. Kissing anyone enables me to see their thoughts and past feelings. It's unlimited access to their minds."

"Oh," Emmett said.

A second later, Bella's pink plump lips were advancing on my own. I closed my eyes eagerly, enjoyed the sensation. As we kissed, one thousand different memories flashed before my eyes, and I tried to ignore them. Instead, I just thought of Bella's lips on my own.

"He's fine," Bella said, finally pulling away.

"And it takes two minutes to do this mind scan?" Emmett sounded deeply skeptical.

"He doesn't need to know how long it took," Bella said quietly, as if I couldn't hear her.

Emmett chuckled.

"I like you," he said. "Most people think that Sirens are scary. You're just friendly."

"Are you sure?" I felt the air around me become cold, and I knew that Bella's eyes would be red if I could be bothered to open my own to look at her.

"That's mean," Emmett commented.

I could hear the smile in Bella's voice.

"I know."

Their voices began to fade, and soon I found myself unconscious again.

XxXxXxXxX

"I got your cutlass," was the first thing that I heard after regaining consciousness.

"What?" I asked blearily, rubbing my eyes with one hand and trying to sit up.

"Down boy," Bella said, pushing my shoulders back. I relaxed against the pillow. "I said I got your cutlass. From the Nomad. Emmett forgot to pick it up, the idiot," she snorted. "So I had to go back."

"Interesting," I replied. "Remind me what happened?"

So, Bella told me. She recounted the battle, explained how she pulled Aro off of my limp body and finished him off herself, before explaining how she'd checked for concussion and found nothing too serious. Then, she explained that we were back on Twilight and everything seemed back to normality. As if I'd never been taken hostage by the Nomads.

Over the next few days, I found myself up and about as usual. Life returned to normal, but Captain Carlisle was incredibly wary of Bella. I knew it wouldn't be long before he said something, or banned her from the ship.

But as the days passed, we passed more and more enemy ships.

Bella seemed to prove herself to Carlisle, with her strong fighting and her ability to make the enemies jump overboard with a single singing note.

And then, one day, Bella approached me.

"Good morning sailor," she said with a smile. But the expression was wrong; it wasn't the enchantingly, mysterious smile that she normally bore. It was nervous; she was nervous.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I need to speak with you," Bella replied tightly.

"Fire away," I replied.

"Well," Bella began…

"ALL HANDS ON DECK!" I heard Carlisle yell frantically.

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**A.N: I know, all drama : ) I quite like it, but sorry if you guys don't. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N: I'm back! I'm so sorry about leaving for such a long time. I hope this makes up for it; it's yet more drama, but I couldn't get away from this fight. Also, I lost the chapter that this was meant to be, so it's not as good as the original. But please, do enjoy. Thanks for looking! Do feel free to drop me a review if you like : ) please don't flame me, I'm only just getting back into the swing of things.**

**Thanks for looking! **

* * *

><p>Chapter 10 - The Most Inappropriate Time For a Conversation<p>

'Why do they all suddenly want a go?' Emmett called from where he was spinning the wheel of the ship frantically. In the distance, we could see the flags of the Denali, the mast glinting in the early morning sunlight.

Bella, who was stood beside me, sharpened the blade of her ruby encrusted cutlass, sparks flying from the metal. She looked almost bored; but there was an excitement shining in her eyes. She was addicted to this life already, and she'd only been with us for a few weeks.

'I want the Captain,' she demanded, yet it was somehow polite.

Carlisle looked her up and down, taking in the casual stance of the only female pirate he'd seen.

'Michael Newton is mine,' Carlisle replied calmly. 'I'm sure you would fight valiantly, but he should be my own kill.'

Bella respected his words and stood down. She twisted the cutlass in her hands, silent.

'We have an advantage,' Carlisle said.

'We've got Bella,' Emmett replied.

'I'd rather finish this fight in the old fashioned way, if you wouldn't mind,' Carlisle replied firmly.

'We've still got Bella,' Emmett muttered.

Bella smirked, and a breeze blew from nowhere, messing her lustrous mahogany curls. I looked away from her, trying to focus.

'Jacob Black is dead,' Carlisle said. 'Embry Call is the second strongest, after Michael Newton. If Newton does happen to take me down in this fight, you must kill him. If I am to die in this battle, it will not be in vain. Is that clear?'

We all made noises of assent, and readied our weapons. I pulled out my cutlass and glanced at the emeralds that Bella had set into the handle of the weapon.

'Masen! Get to the bow,' Carlisle commanded as the Denali ship crew began to attack.

I rushed forwards, narrowly dodging some bullets; the last time we'd seen the Denali crew, they'd have no firearms.

'Edward!' Bella yelled. I looked back, and ducked as I realised that Call had jumped across to the ship. His cutlass was long and thick; it looked heavy. I had an advantage; though I had the smaller blade, I could make quicker attacks.

I quickly deflected Call's attempts at disarming me, and pushed him backwards into the mast. Jasper was there in a second, distracting Call with his two cutlasses.

Shouts were being yelled all around. 'Edward!' I heard Bella shout again. I looked right first, expecting the attacker to come from there, as the Denali had pulled up on the right of the ship.

Something hit my head - but it wasn't very heavy. I shook it off, whirled around and feigning suddenly with my cutlass. I looked at my attacker; it was Carmen, one of the ladies of the ship.

'I heard that female pirates are in fashion,' she said. She wore a bottle green coat with a thin belt that would normally bear her cutlass.

'Only the best,' I replied calmly, deflecting her attack.

'Who says I'm not the best?' Carmen asked, slashing upwards over my defence. I just managed to bring up my cutlass to dodge the swipe; she would've blinded me if I'd been just a moment too slow.

'I do,' another voice said.

Bella. Her voice was darker than I'd ever heard it; was she jealous? For a moment, I wondered if she could be - but then I was distracted as Carmen quickly whirled around, away from me, moving so that she had her back to the wall of the ship. Bella and Carmen locked in combat for a moment, before Bella narrowly managed to avoid a lethal swipe from Carmen and brought down her own cutlass onto Carmen's head.

'Masen!' somebody roared. I whirled around to see Jasper struggling with Call - and hastily jumped in to help. Call had somehow gotten his hands on another cutlass, and he was evenly matched with Jasper. The two slashed against one another, sparks flying up into the air with every attempted hit.

I slashed and caught Call's back - he flinched but his attacks didn't waver from Jasper. Call cleverly manoeuvred himself back against the mast of the ship, and continued fighting us off. I didn't know where to look; there were too many cutlasses. I couldn't get in without distracting Jasper -

Call suddenly swiped away from Jasper, and his cutlass caught my face, just across my cheek.

'Edward!' Bella practically screamed from behind me. I felt her petite hand wrap around my wrist and drag me away. Her hand lightly touched the cut on my face; it was like an anaesthetic.

'It's still there,' Bella warned. 'But I can't fix you up right now,' she ducked out of the way as Carmen flew by, wielding her weapon savagely.

'What did you want to talk to me about?' I yelled as another attacker appeared; in the distance, I could see that Emmett had been wounded, and now Kate and Irina - the two women he had been fighting - were squaring up to us. Jasper was still fully engaged in his fight with Call.

I could see Captain Carlisle ducking from Newton's many blows; nobody was in a fit state to help us.

'Three against two?' Bella asked. 'Easy.'

There was some kind of mad charge. Bella was left handed, so she was on the right, and I was on the left. Our backs were practically touching as we defended and attacked - but it was hard. Apparently the pirates of the Denali had trained the ladies well.

'Duck!' Bella snapped at me. I did as she said, without even thinking, and heard a cry of pain and a sickening slicing sound as Carmen died.

I swiped from where I was on the ground, cutting Irina's legs.

'That's how you do it!' Bella said enthusiastically. 'I needed to tell you something,' she added, dodging Kate's attacks.

'What?' I replied, feinting to the left and then moving to the right. I managed to get my cutlass under Irina's wrist - forcing her to drop her cutlass. It clattered to the deck.

I pressed the blade of my knife to Irina's throat, holding her in a headlock. Some part of my mind said that I could use her to prompt a surrender - I wasn't quite sure where the merciful idea had come from.

But no - Irina's elbow lashed backwards with surprising vigour, and I doubled over instinctively.

A second later, Irina had slashed at my side - and it was a deep wound, I could tell. I ignored the feeling of pain that burned in my side, instead feeling determined to end the fight.

I slashed upwards, surprising Irina that I had left all of my main body parts open for attack. As she readied herself to stab me in the heart, I brought down my cutlass onto hers - and it fell to the ground for the second time. Then, rather than attempting to use her as a bargaining chip for surrender, I brought the weapon straight into her heart, killing her instantly.

'Masen! Siren!' Carlisle bellowed. Newton and Carlisle were evenly matched; it was incredible. I couldn't even see their cutlasses - just streaks of silver light as they attacked.

'They've got another woman on their ship! Stop her from using the cannons!'

'Right!' I called in response. 'Bella?' I asked her. She was winning the fight with Kate, who was tiring easily.

'Okay,' she agreed - and then, a second later, she'd managed to stick her cutlass straight through the lady's stomach. It was a hideous image, even for a pirate. Kate's eyes bulged out in surprise, before she fell to the ground with a low thud. Bella pulled her cutlass out of Kate's stomach, looking at the bloodied blade in quiet disgust.

'Come on!' Bella told me, rushing off towards the Denali. She jumped up and grabbed onto a rope that hung from our mast, swinging skilfully across to the ship. I looked warily at the large gap in between the ships.

'Come on, we don't have time!' Bella yelled.

I nodded, making a running leap, before grabbing onto the rope as Bella had done. Her hand was there, seeming to appear out of nowhere, and she pulled me across to the Denali.

'This way,' she commanded, dragging me with her.

We moved across the ship, crouching behind the compartment that led down to the private quarters of the crew. The ship was so large, it felt as if everything was silent - I couldn't even hear the battle across on Twilight.

No, it wasn't silent. I could hear something; heavy breathing, almost hysterical sobs and the sound of physical exertion.

'Shh,' Bella mouthed to me as we bent down, hiding. We crouched behind some barrels of gunpowder, silent.

Tanya Denali, the weakest lady of the ship, was stood there. Her blonde hair was matted and dirty - there was sweat pouring from her forehead. Her dress was ripped, and I could see scars along her arms. She looked like she'd been tortured; which was quite possible.

'I can't do this anymore,' she whispered.

There were quite a lot of barrels filled with gunpowder, considering that this was where the cannons were fired. I wondered whose idea this was; whoever it was, was clearly an idiot.

'I know you're there,' Tanya said, her voice louder, and incredibly shaky.

Bella and I stayed hidden, waiting.

'Face me,' Tanya said. Bella nodded for us to stand, and so we did. There were about four metres in between us - enough to be ready if she suddenly attacked.

'Do you see what my crew have done to me?' Tanya asked us. Her voice was broken, shaky. Tears poured from her eyes. She was more than a mess. 'How they treat one of their own? They think I'm worthless,' she said. 'But I'll show them.'

'Tanya,' Bella said, her voice quietly soothing, somehow. I could detect urgency in her tone though - I didn't understand why. 'What are you doing with this gunpowder?'

_Shit. _

'I need to prove to them that I am useful,' Tanya told us. 'And now I can... by killing everybody on Twilight.'

'Tanya, you'll also kill yourself and your crew,' Bella cautioned her.

'I don't care,' Tanya said, her voice much weaker. 'I want it to stop.'

'It will stop, Tanya,' Bella said. 'You don't have to do this.'

Tanya smiled. A match burned in her hand.

'Edward, step back,' Bella said. 'Slowly. With me.'

I did so, and somehow Bella's hand found mine.

We backed into the side of the ship. In the distance, I could see Twilight; they'd moved. There was enough distance to ensure that they wouldn't be injured by the explosion; I knew Jasper would notice our predicament.

_It was good of him to try and help us, though_, I thought sarcastically.

Bella turned to face me. One of her hands wrapped around my neck. Her eyes burned into mine.

'Do you trust me?' she asked.

'What?' I asked, confused.

'Do you trust me?' she asked, sounding more urgent. From the corner of my eye, Tanya was closing her eyes and muttering a prayer to herself.

'Yes, of course,' I said.

'We need to jump.'

'Bella, it's thirty feet!' I exclaimed.

'Trust me,' Bella said again. Her eyes burned into mine.

Something inside me snapped as I looked at her.

'Always,' I replied.

'I love you,' she whispered suddenly. I didn't have the chance to reply.

Her arms were tight around my neck as we fell from the side of the ship - together.


End file.
